"If you can get Thomas (Ali'i Tiki) from Bamboo Too to join you (which takes very little arm twisting!)"

Hey!!!
I may have very little arms but there's no need for twisting them just to have a drink !!!
I'll gladly do that on any day that ends with a Y.
Always up for meeting more of the mainland Tiki crew.
Aloha Y'all

Just got back from Oahu and all the suggestions were great. One disappointing thing was the bartender at la marina saling club. We stopped of for a quick drink after the Swap meet and when we got their there was a sign on the door that stated they would be close at 2:30pm so it was 2:10pm and a couple walked in right in front of me and my wife so we went to the bar and after the bartender served the couple that was in front of us he looked at us and we said can we get a quick drink came all the way from Michigan to see this place and he said no !!!! By this time it was say 2:20pm and there where about 9 customers sitting at a couple tables and the couple that was in front of we were sitting at the bar. I was dumfounded. Instead of arguing we just left shaking are head. Great Polynesian hospitality I guess. Besides that from what I saw of the bar it looked very cool.

Back from the Big Island and boy did we have fun! Thanks to all for the information, suggestions and Ali'i Tiki for taking the time to meet... at Don the Beachcombers... for a Mai Tai and what was that other drink called we had? I was getting fuzzy, but it tasted just fine!

Still haven't got to the pictures, but for anyone going to the Big Island, my recommendations include;
1. Both the Volcano National Park and the lava show at The End of the Road, (at sunset).
2. Don the Beachcombers, Huggo's and Fish Hopper.
3. Kayaking and snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay.
4. Horseback riding in Waipio Valley.
5. Renting a car and getting into funky shops and restaurants.
6. For the good ukuleles to purchase- Just Ukes; for the best ukuleles- the back of the little furniture store behind the Shell station in Hilo.

This island is full of hidden spots. For example. just north of Hilo are several beach parks. They are marked on the highway, and you pull off and down winding little roads, and park. There are waterfalls into the ocean, fishing spots, high beautiful surf. You will feel like an explorer making discoveries when you visit these out of the way spots.

Kona is much visited and well known. Hilo not so much. In a strip mall of all places, there is Hilo Bay Cafe. You may think to pass on this place because how much atmosphere could it have... the menu is great, and the drinks superb. This restaurant and Cafe Pesto on the Bay front are two favorites. Advantage of the Bay Front is of course the view.

If you are trying to conserve funds while vacationing here, stay someplace with a kitchen and do some of your own food prep. Otherwise, be prepared to spend about $100 or more a day per couple to eat fairly modestly. Go food shopping at Farmer's markets to get good buys.

Lots of people who come to the Big Island expect and hope to see lava. The flowing kind. Lava tends to creep along in a somewhat sluggish and uninteresting way. Except for when it is dribbling in falls into the ocean. It's pricey but a lavaboat is a good way to go if this is what you came for. Also, check at the park to see whether the flow at night is visible from Kalapana. If so, worth the drive at the end of the day. Get there before twilight and watch the light show. Jaggar Museum in the park is where to drive to also at dusk to see the glow at Halemaumau. This information is current as of June 2010. Changes are frequent, so check what Pele is up to just before you come.

The real sense of Hawaii comes alive in the small towns. World class slack key happens all over the place in places like Hawi, north of North Kohala.

As for tiki, there is Don the Beachcomber. And we are trying to bring tiki culture to Volcano. To see that, our website is on my profile. I hope! Below is the moongate to our treehouse at the volcano.

Knowing that great cocktail bars are hard to find anywhere, I thought this was worth sharing:

One for the Road: Honolulu
Visit any Hawaiian resort and you're sure to see dozens of sunbathers sipping frozen tropical drinks. While bars serving these "island" concoctions are still very popular (especially with tourists), there are also a host of Oahu establishments that have taken their cocktail programs to the next level. Here are some favorite spots to have a drink in the Aloha State's capital.

Matt the Cat & I just returned last week from Hawaii & Kauai, best time ever! We stayed in Kona at the Royal Kona Resort with Don the Beachcomber's Restaurant. Went to the City of Refuge south of Kona (Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau)and saw awesome tiki's. Took a helicopter (doors off) over the volcano and saw the lava flowing into the ocean (spectacular)!! In Kauai, we booked Kauai Back Country Excursions and inner tubed down the fresh water irrigation ditches through the plantations and mile long tunnels (awesome)! And took another helicopter over Kauai to see Na Pali coast in winter. Hit Tahiti Nui (48 year old tiki bar in Hanalei town up north). The bartenders said they are going to have one hell of a party when they turn 50, something to look for! Had an awesome time.

Here's the link to my photos, and I'll post a few: Just click on the link and hit slideshow. I think it takes about 10 mins to view them all!

Also, in February we were on our first trip to Kauai, which wasn't the best trip mainly due to being evacuated for the tsunami and spending too short of a time there. We think we need to go back to Kauai again so we can really appreciate it. We were only there 5 days (only 1 blog post).

I know this thread is "hawaii vacation trips." And i have many in my blog posts, but if you don't want to slog thru those here are a few:

-Go to a farmers market and bring a small cooler with you since you will want to buy everything
-get a hotel room with a mini fridge or condo so you can have some local foods around for snacks and breakfast
-watch your hotels mini fridge, it froze our pineapple, soy milk and BEER!
-go to hawaii longer then 5 days. We live in San Francisco and still had jet lag and time change issues. Really takes a few days to get use to be being on vacation.

The Honu photo was taken in Hanalei, there's a pier and we walked out and just saw them swimming there.

The tiki was at this polynesian village, along the river. We drove up a hill and to the right was a parking lot, you could walk to the lookout and see the waterfall where they shot the opening to Fantasy Island years ago. If you walk directly accross the street to the river side and look down, you'll see the village. I think we paid $5 each to walk around the self guided tour. Lots of tikis and huts and information. You can rent kayaks there too, we'll do that this year for sure!

We leave on Thanksgiving for Kauai, staying up north in Hanalei this time. I can hardly wait!